Merz Reignites Dispute over Postwar Expulsion of Germans

The German government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz is reopening the sensitive debate over the millions of Germans expelled from Central and Eastern Europe after World War II.

Under pressure from the conservative wing and the right, the government has transferred responsibility for displaced persons from the Ministry of Culture to the Ministry of the Interior and is preparing legislative changes concerning a memorial to the topic in Berlin.

Germany commemorates the approximately 12 million people displaced after the war every year. This chapter remains a sensitive part of the country's collective memory, caught between acknowledging individual suffering and recognizing Germany's responsibility for war crimes.

The Federation of Expellees has criticized Berlin's Documentation Centre for Displacement, Expulsion & Reconciliation for placing the fate of Germans within the broader context of forced migration worldwide. The association argues that the exhibition should focus more closely on the suffering and injustice endured by the German population during and after the war.

The planned changes have raised concerns among historians. The German Historical Association has warned against a shift toward a nationally oriented interpretation of history, which it says could weaken the broader European and historical context of postwar events. Critics also point to the growing influence of the Federation of Expellees on the shaping of state policy.

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